Ash brown dye turning hair red. What to do?

[JustCosy]

Last year, I cut all my damaged and dyed hair off. Left with two inches of healthy hair I've spent a year wearing wigs, and finally after 7 inches of growth, was ready to start a better and healthier hair journey.

I had a lot of greys (about 35%) so wanted to dye my hair after growing it back, which was always the plan. My natural hair colour is dark ashy brown, so settled on Clairol medium ash brown.

It's covered the greys but has left a very red tone, which has confused me because ash brown is supposed to not have warm undertones 😔

Is there a toner or shampoo that you'd recommend to get the red/orange out? And any other recommendations for ash brown hair dye that has no warm undertones?

Thank you!

Try John Frieda Defy Grey shampoo and conditioner.

Hey thanks, would that help mute the red?

Matrix
This mask is good for hiding the orange.

Unfortunately you, like me, might have a lot of natural warmth in your hair.

I haven't tried it yet but blue shampoos are supposed to work well on warm tones a bit like you use purple shampoo for brassy blonde hair.

I have never found any ash brown dye that doesn't pull red and warm tones on my hair. It's odd as I am cool toned.
Green shampoo I supposed to help cancel out red, you want the opposite on the colour wheel.

I think it will tone it down @JustCosy I have ash brown hair too and was using semi-perm colours which were ruining my hair texture. Found that shampoo and it works a treat. It's not harsh like hair dye. I can't afford to pay professionally so it's been the best option for me.

Some semi permanents contain peroxide without advertising it.

It was Clairol natural instincts. I don't think it's as harsh as some but after a while it just wasn't as effective/easy as the shampoo (and no need for gloves!).

If you don't want to mess around with your hair again get it done professionally otherwise you'll end up where you started.

Box dyes are awful for getting the colour right. Even if you use the same colour every time you dye your hair, you'll end up with different shades over time.

There are great recommendations here for shampoos. I think the PP who said about you possibly having a lot of warmth in your hair naturally could be on the money.

I have a lot of natural warmth in my hair so even when I use ash hair dye, my hair does go quite red! I find that Japanese hair dyes work well (search for Liese Prettia) as Asian hair naturally has quite red tones within the shaft so Asian hair dye is formulated to combat this. Japanese hair dye takes ages to arrive though so if your hair needs dyeing often cos it grows fast then it’s maybe not a great option.

Other things I would say are; be so careful with colour stripper. I did not realise that hair will always go much much darker from any dye you use post stripper. I say this because I’ve been where you are and I thought stripping and re-dyeing would give me lovely ashy hair…only for it to turn black and somehow still red!

In terms of dyes that I rate, Garnier Nutrisse or L’Oreal Excellence for grey coverage without ruining hair texture. Always look for .0 or .01 after the decimal point so that you’re getting an ashy colour. Then, as others have said, always tone hair using a coloured shampoo post dye.

True, but professionally coloured hair isn’t always in everyone’s budget!

Thank you everyone! I've taken everything on board. I have purchased some blue shampoo so hopefully that may help with getting sone warmth out.

I've decided not to dwell on it too much, I may never have or get the perfect ash brown that I am looking for. Going to a salon isn't really within my budget right now, but maybe in the future. For now I'll continue to learn about good hair care and embrace the new healthy hair that I now have :)

I'm 41 and have used box dyes since the age of 16 🤦 so currently loving my new hair and new opportunity to treat it correctly and healthily.

Thanks again for all your responses, everything has been noted and appreciated :)

Someone here suggested shade 7 which is lightest brown or darkest blonde (depending on brand) and it really works for my mid brown hair. Greys fade to golden. I like this because my hair gets slight highlights by the sun anyway.

Personally I find the results consistent and I don't get build up because I only ever dye the root regrowth.

Me too.

I've tried everything (blue and purple shampoos and toners). I've tried several hairdressers. I cannot get rid of the warmth without going a lot darker.

If your use a permanent colour the developer with lift and deposit and that reveals underlying warmth in there we all have it even if we have ashy natural hair (hairdresser here ) the best thing would be to use a colour that does not lift just deposits so a toner and it will blend the greys instead of covering and u get a nice grow and and super shiny hair X